UCAS - How to choose the right course

How to choose the right course

You might already know which subject to choose, but there are thousands of students who ask the same question: what should I study? Below are some points to consider before making that all-important decision.

Find a course which matches your interests, career aspirations and talents

There is no one course that suits everyone, so we know how important it is to find the right one for you. The best way to decide what you would like to study is to ask yourself the following questions.

Which subjects interest me?
What are my talents?
What job would I like to do after university or college?
Which academic skills would I like to improve?

Having an answer to any of these questions is a good starting point, but don't worry if you cannot answer them all.

Some professions require specific subjects to be studied at higher education level. If you know what career you would like to do in the future, research the job in detail to see if any qualifications are essential.

Many courses with the same title are actually very different in terms of content and study methods, so check the Entry Profiles in Course Search to help you see which will suit you best.

Unistats is a website that can help you to research subjects and universities before deciding where to apply. You can compare subjects, compare universities and colleges, look at student satisfaction ratings and explore the figures about getting a graduate job after completing a course. Unistats has the results of the National Student Survey and also statistical information on universities, colleges, subjects and teaching style.

Choose a qualification that suits you

Most people think that higher education means studying for a degree, but there are many more qualifications that you can take at university or college. See the types of available qualifications.

Consider combination courses if you would like to study more than one subject

If you are interested in more than one subject, you can sometimes choose to study a combination on your course, eg English literature and psychology. Use Course Search to find out which combinations are available.

You can often decide for yourself how much time you would like to spend on each subject.

Joint: the two subjects are studied equally, ie 50/50

Major/Minor: the time spent is usually 75%/25%

Explore the subjects that you are interested in to discover a wide range of courses

Once you have chosen one or more subjects that you would consider studying, the next step is to choose a course that includes these subjects. At higher education level, you can study more than just core subjects, such as mathematics, English, chemistry. These subjects branch out into more creative and varied courses.

For example, if you enjoy chemistry at A level, you could study chemical engineering, environmental chemistry or forensic science. If you prefer English, you could study English literature, journalism, creative writing or primary school teaching. See what is available in Course Search.

Learn a language and build your confidence while studying abroad

With some four-year language courses, you can study abroad in your third year. This allows you to practice the language while living in that country, which will improve your understanding and is a great experience.

When studying abroad, you usually work within a school, teaching English. You would be assigned to a teacher who would help you throughout the year. Not only does this strengthen your language skills, it can also improve your confidence and independence. If you study two languages, you may be able to spend time in the two countries.

Our specialist admissions services

Some higher education courses are recruited through different specialist admissions services.

CUKAS - Conservatoires UK Admissions Service - if you are interested in studying a music course, you could consider applying through CUKAS. CUKAS is an admissions service for practice-based music courses which are run at UK conservatoires.

GTTR - Graduate Teacher Training Registry - if you are considering becoming a teacher, you are eligible to apply for a postgraduate teaching course if you are a degree graduate, or will complete a degree before the postgraduate course starts.

UKPASS - UK Postgraduate Application and Statistical Service - this service is open to anyone wanting to apply to postgraduate courses at the universities and colleges listed on the UKPASS website.